Underrated Ravens addition evokes memories of franchise legend

Let’s be honest. Baltimore Ravens fans don't gather around the television in August to break down punter mechanics, and even if they did, they wouldn't do so with the same enthusiasm reserved for quarterback controversies. Punters don’t sell jerseys the way Lamar Jackson does, and they never will.

Wide receiver battles or pass rushers capable of ruining offensive coordinators’ sleep schedules are a much more intriguing conversation. That's who dominates debate shows. Fantasy football managers certainly aren’t fighting over punters in drafts.

And yet, everyone suddenly becomes a special teams expert the moment field position swings a game. The conversation shifts when a missed field goal ends a regular season. That’s why Baltimore’s selection of Ryan Eckley deserves more attention than it’s getting. He was drafted this past April to replace departed Pro Bowl punter Jordan Stout.

The Ravens may have found another special teams weapon

It seems that, according to Baltimore’s own coaching staff, the stylistic comparison between Ryan Eckley and franchise legend Sam Koch is an easy comparison to draw. That should immediately grab Ravens fans’ attention. Not too long ago, special teams coach Randy Brown recently explained to BaltimoreRavens.com that Eckley profiles less like a pure power punter and more like a “shot maker,”

"Ryan is more of a shot maker. Jordan was more of a home run hitter, then turned into a shot maker with his pooches and with his boomerangs. Ryan doesn't have the Sam Koch qualities from '06 to, let's say, '13, when Sam was more of just a directional turnover guy. It's more of the Sam Koch towards the end of his career... Returners are so good now. You don't want them just standing under the ball waiting for it. You want them looking right, looking left, running right, running backwards, running left, so they can't set their feet. He's got the ability to make those shots."

Eckley is the type of specialist who can manipulate placement, angles, and field position rather than simply trying to launch moonshots. That sounds awfully familiar. Koch spent 16 seasons in Baltimore, turning punting into a weirdly artistic science project. Returners hated him because the ball rarely behaved the way they expected.

He flipped field position, disguised intentions, and quietly revolutionized specialist play along the way. Brown sees some of that same creativity in Eckley. This isn’t blind optimism, either. Eckley led all FBS punters in average last season at 48.5 yards per punt while pinning 20 kicks inside the 20 and 10 inside the 10. Four landed at the one-yard line.

That’s not punting. That’s emotional warfare. Brown also praised Eckley’s athleticism, pointing to his quarterback background, natural feel, and ability as a holder. Those are traits Baltimore reportedly valued tremendously during the evaluation process.

No one is suggesting Eckley is destined to become the next Sam Koch overnight. That would be unfair. Still, when a Ravens coach voluntarily brings a rookie punter into the same conversation as one of the franchise’s most beloved specialists, it deserves attention. Why? Because if Baltimore truly found another long-term field-position artist hiding in the sixth round, opposing offenses may soon learn the hard way that punters absolutely matter.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Underrated Ravens addition evokes memories of franchise legend